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Author Topic: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General  (Read 5815 times)

Offline robh

  • Scatterbrained Genius
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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #15 on: September 20, 2018, 01:48:17 PM »
Arkeo Obskura (Gothic Horror/Pulp) and Dungeon Saga "Adventurer's Companion" (Fantasy dungeoncrawl) both have solo/solitaire gaming options designed into them which you may be able to adapt to your specific needs.

Arkeo Obskura works by random selection on predetermined 'reaction tables'
Dungeon Saga has a clever card based system (one of Gav Thorpes best designs).

Offline Faust23

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    • Strategic Elite: Skirmish Wargames for the Discerning Strategist
Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #16 on: September 20, 2018, 02:50:49 PM »
Great thread with some useful information. I've added a Solo Campaign to my list of product offerings for our fantasy game The Sword Marches: Metal Sword & Sorcery Skirmish Wargames. We've published a free Ashcan version of the rules for playtest that can be found here http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=111976.0

Over the next year's worth of public play testing we'll be open to all input on how to do a Solo Campaign play book. My Brink of Battle core system and its sister games (Epic Heroes, Scrappers, & TSM) are very easily adapted to solo play already, but I want to come up with an AI system that will complement the Encounter system I'll have in the core rulebook. I'm sure I'll be picking your brains in the coming year to get advice and feedback. :)

Thanks,
Bob
Author of the Origins Award 2013 Nominated Brink of Battle: Skirmish Gaming through the Ages; Epic Heroes: Skirmish Gaming in the Realms of Fantasy; and Scrappers: Post-Apocalyptic Skirmish Wargames published by Osprey Games

Offline monkeylite

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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #17 on: September 21, 2018, 07:54:07 AM »
I find Sword and Spear (and Sword and Spear Fantasy) to be pretty satisfying to play solo. The way the activation rolls are made, the first player lays out his activations before seeing the second player's roll, and the second player always gets to see the first player's roll, means you have pretty much exactly the same decisions to make over what to do with your activation dice playing solo as you would playing an opponent.

As with most solo games you don't get the 'here's my brilliant tactical plan my opponent would never have thought of,' spoiled. But that's not really what you usually get in S&S in any case. You usually get the 'there's 6 things I really need to do right now, but there's only 3 activations I can make' problem.

Offline Argonor

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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #18 on: September 22, 2018, 11:18:16 AM »
I find Sword and Spear (and Sword and Spear Fantasy) to be pretty satisfying to play solo. The way the activation rolls are made, the first player lays out his activations before seeing the second player's roll, and the second player always gets to see the first player's roll, means you have pretty much exactly the same decisions to make over what to do with your activation dice playing solo as you would playing an opponent.

As with most solo games you don't get the 'here's my brilliant tactical plan my opponent would never have thought of,' spoiled. But that's not really what you usually get in S&S in any case. You usually get the 'there's 6 things I really need to do right now, but there's only 3 activations I can make' problem.

Sounds pretty good to me, I may have to check our S&S!  :)
Ask at the LAF, and answer shall thy be given!


Cultist #84



Offline andyskinner

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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #21 on: October 10, 2018, 03:17:50 PM »
I am interested in co-op play.  Most of the games I have seen intended for that are pretty small skirmishes.  I think I'd like something a bit bigger than those.  Generally we play large skirmishes (40 to 60 figures a side, organized in groups but not formations).  I'd be happy to cut that down for co-op, but not to the handful that some of these games seem to aimed at.  If each of us had a leader and 16-20 figures organized in small groups, and we had "enough" bad guys (whatever that means), it might be something I'd aim at.  (Though if we could have a fun game in the same size we've been playing, I'd love it.)

Do you need different mechanics for medium or large skirmishes than you do for the 6 vs 6 kinds of games?

Some of my favorite mechanics are the things that add uncertainty and keep the game from being only about lining up on each side and moving forward until you roll dice.  Chain of Command has lots of mechanisms like this, though I don't know whether they could apply to fantasy.  I think the activations in the Song of games are fun, though I've often wanted the games to go a bit bigger, without having to use bases of multiple figures.  I'd like something to add to the very simple rules we usually play (Age of Fantasy from One Page Rules).  Let the very simple rules handle the moving and fighting, but something with a bit more flair to add excitement.

andy

Offline Ethelred the Almost Ready

  • Mastermind
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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #22 on: October 10, 2018, 07:16:39 PM »
I'm about to start work in a couple of minutes, so a short reply for now.
Andy, I would also like to play a larger game solo.  Have you looked at Rally Round the King?

Offline petercooman123

  • Scientist
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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #23 on: October 10, 2018, 07:45:58 PM »
  I think the activations in the Song of games are fun, though I've often wanted the games to go a bit bigger, without having to use bases of multiple figures.


I use 4 warbands, two on either side. doubles the size of games.

turn sequence starts with side 1, warband 1. If they fail two rolls on an activation, play passes to side 2 warband 1. IF they fail it passes back to side 1 with warband 2 and then to side 2 with warband 2.

Works pretty well, you just have to write down the warband compositions, so you know wich models can act on a warbands activation.

Something else i have tried is doubling the points of a warband, and letting them ignore the first 'turnover', but this tends to make it a bit unbalanced, as there can be more 'ganging up' on specific characters.

I still have to try doubling the points and keeping any activation markers after a turnover. when the opponent gets a turnover you can then activate any models without a marker. With a second turnover, remove all markers. Dont know if that will work though!
« Last Edit: October 10, 2018, 07:49:49 PM by petercooman123 »

Offline AWu

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    • War is the H-word
Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #24 on: October 10, 2018, 07:49:34 PM »
What about some kind of algorithmic flowchart for each personality and unit hat could randomly determine their behavior ?

Offline andyskinner

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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #25 on: October 10, 2018, 08:18:34 PM »
I'm about to start work in a couple of minutes, so a short reply for now.
Andy, I would also like to play a larger game solo.  Have you looked at Rally Round the King?

I have not.  I think it is a multi-figure stand game, but am not sure.  I really want medium to large skirmish.  Really large units with formations aren't what I'm after.

And I have tried hard to like THW games, multiple times, but they just don't click for me.  Too much rolling.

andy

Offline andyskinner

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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #26 on: October 10, 2018, 08:23:31 PM »
I use 4 warbands, two on either side. doubles the size of games.

Thanks.  Those ideas address turns ending by activation failures.  But I still think it needs something to let groups act together.  Doing combats one at a time can be slower, too.

But they really are terrific rules.

andy

Offline petercooman123

  • Scientist
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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #27 on: October 10, 2018, 08:26:52 PM »
Thanks.  Those ideas address turns ending by activation failures.  But I still think it needs something to let groups act together.  Doing combats one at a time can be slower, too.

But they really are terrific rules.

andy


Yes they can be slow at times, especially if you have a horde-type warband.


Offline blacksmith

  • Mad Scientist
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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #28 on: October 11, 2018, 09:16:15 AM »
I solo a lot.
I suggest you to check Two Hour Wargames specifically designed for solo and co-op, for skirmish as well as for massed battles.

Offline Argonor

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Re: Solo Games and Game Mechanics in General
« Reply #29 on: October 11, 2018, 12:17:47 PM »
I solo a lot.
I suggest you to check Two Hour Wargames specifically designed for solo and co-op, for skirmish as well as for massed battles.

He just wrote that he doesn't like the THW system, though.  ;)